Former Spa City Commissioner Ken Ivins Jr. announces run for city supervisor (With video)

Ken Ivins Jr., right, talks with supporter and Saratoga Springs GOP Committee Chairman David Harper at the Thirsty Owl in Saratoga Springs Monday evening as he announces his candidacy for city supervisor.
(ERIC JENKS/photos@saratogian.com)

Ken Ivins addresses a crowd of supporters at the Thirsty Owl in Saratoga Springs Monday evening as he announces his candidacy for city supervisor.
(ERIC JENKS/photos@saratogian.com)

SARATOGA SPRINGS -- Former city Finance Commissioner Kenneth Ivins Jr. is running for a seat on the Saratoga County Board of Supervisors.

"Only having one Republican down there for Saratoga Springs has really hurt the city," Ivins said to supporters gathered Monday night at the Thirsty Owl on Lincoln Avenue. "Matt has really been down there working with one hand behind his back. We need two Republicans down in Ballston Spa so we can really get things accomplished."

Ivins is the second candidate to toss his hat into the ring in the race for the city's two supervisor seats. Matthew Veitch, another Republican, announced his bid for re-election earlier this month.

Ivins said he will be seeking the Republican, Conservative and Independence party endorsements.

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No one on the Democratic ticket has officially announced they are running for supervisor. Joanne Yepsen, the current Democratic supervisor, is running for mayor.

"The county (Board of Supervisors) is overwhelmingly Republican," Veitch said, adding that having another Republican voice for the city would "definitely have an impact."

Ivins said the biggest issue facing the county is finances, "and I obviously have a lot of experience there."

He was finance commissioner for two terms from 2008 to 2012.

Ivins lost his bid for a third term to Michele Madigan by 6 percent of the vote -- 397 votes.

He is also a former president of the Southern Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce, a position through which he said he built relationships with many supervisors.

Currently, Ivins works for Commercial Coverage, a Ballston Spa insurance agency, managing its bookkeeping and IT needs. He also owns a small business, Ivins Computer Consulting.

Ivins was finance commissioner when the city lost its video lottery terminal aid, a major blow to the budget. He said it forced him to make tough decisions, including layoffs in the police department, fire department and Public Works.

"It was either that or a huge tax increase," he said. "I cut across the board."

He said despite the loss of VLT funds and the recession, he still put forward a zero percent sales tax in two of his four years in office.

Ivins is one of the newest members of the Saratoga Springs Housing Authority Board of Commissioners, appointed last year by Mayor Scott Johnson. Ivins said that if he is elected, he will step down from his position at the Housing Authority due to legal restrictions.

"He has a very good handle on city finances and a good handle on county government because of his place on the City Council," city GOP Chairman David Harper said.

He said the committee will make its endorsements at its May 13 meeting. At this point, Ivins and Veitch are the only two candidates to officially announce their intentions.

Public Works Commissioner Anthony "Skip" Scirocco has not officially announced whether he is running, nor has former Public Safety Commissioner Richard Wirth, though both are believed to be running for City Council.

Harper said the Republican ticket also has a candidate for mayor, "but I can't reveal who it will be."

He said that announcement will be made on or before May 13.

Editor's note: An earlier version of the story cited unofficial vote counts in Ivins' race against Madigan. The official number had Madigan winning by 397 votes -- 5.99 percent.